Category Archives: EmployID Academy

A good place to start could be to find out how creative you already are. Take the test in the link below (or find your own test online). Make a note of your score, revisit it in the future (after working on some of our creativity tutorials) to see if it has improved.

a tool that has a forum/team board -> we will use TalkReflect for that -> Link to group NOTE: You need to be part of the peer coaching group within TalkReflect to work in this part of the TalkReflect App. This is closed to those who registered for the Intervision OOC.

Active listening

Active listening is important for building trust between coach and client. It is a way for the coach to show the client that he is compeletly with him and his concerns. Understanding listening enables the client to talk open about stressing, burdensome, unpleasant and even embarrassing situations.
I had a trainer once for “communication in coaching” during accomplishing my coaching seminar who told us that active listening is the most valuable coaching intervention/tool and that we not need more interventions if we are experts in that alone.

So what does it need for active listening?

Non-verbal communication: First you need to build up a good contact to your client, because that is one of the conditions for active listening. It means you need to have eye contact and your non-verbal communication must show that you are with the client by for example nodding or try to take in the same body language. I mean no imitation, but try to make the client feel equal and understood through your behavior.

Paraphrasing & summarizing: Second you do paraphrasing. This means you listen and repeat parts of what you heard in your words to show you actually listened and to give the client the chance to be more precise about his wording.

Mirroring: Third you do mirroring. This means you tell the client what you perceive from his emotions and behavior. “I have the impression that this is a real burden for you.”

No valuation: Do not valuate.

Focus on client: The client is in the center of focus. This means you are not meant to speak about yourself; give your opinion or object to what is said by the client.

Give it a try now!

Ask a friend, colleage, family member to tell you about his or her day and try to use the techniques for active listening from above.

How did that work? How did you feel trying out “active listening”?

This excercise does not only train your active listeing skills, it is also good for summarizing, for empathy, for your own awareness on how you act.

Feedback

Feedback is always something that should be asked for. Do not give feedback, if someone does not ask for it. Not only because this can be understood as very rude, but also because everyone is different in taking feedback.

There are certain rules in giving feedback, that you should know about.

Feedback should be…

…constructively: It should be motivating and empowering instead of crushing. It should give a perspective for further actions.

…describing: Feedback needs to be objectively in a way, that the situation is rather described then interpreted. The meaning of giving feedback ist to support the other to improve.

…concrete: No blanket statements, that do not lead to concrete actions.

…subjective: If you are interpreting, then always from your perspective, so use “I”. “I think…”, “I am the opinion…”, ” I am of the impression that…”

…positive and negative: Find positive and negative aspects and try to mix them.

…clear and precise: Say clearly what is needed to be improved in your opinion.

…realistic: The feedback should be realistic for the person, situation etc.

…immediatly/ directly: Best to give feedback directly, and not wait for hours and days. It is hard to remember what was done when time strides ahead.

…asked for: The receiver of the feedback should be the one deciding if he wants it or not. (Seifert 1998, p. 72f.)

The next time shou give feedback, try to remember these points and ask if your are allowed to givee feedback.

Emotional self-awareness

One of the indirect results of coaching is the emotional self-awareness and it is activated by the coach through questions focusing on feelings, affects, etc. But this is not only a result from coaching for the client, but also an ability the coach needs.

For the client it means to be aware of one’s feelings and attitude it is the knowledge or perception of the self. Knowing about your current emotional state and what influences it, is the first step to changing this state.

Give it a try now!

I want to do a little exercise with you. Think of a current problem and try show it by your mimic, your gestic and your posture an remain there for a few seconds. Afterwards please think of a very happy event in your live and show it likewise. Reflect on how it feels and what you think by taking in the different states!

For your coaching process you can invite the client to think of a moment of pure happiness or a former success or of a hot chocolate with marshmellows. At least that would work with me.

Just say: “Can you imagine a moment where you were really happy? How did it feel? What did you think” Or you can do that future oriented by asking “Imagine your problem is solved. What is there then? How does it feel? What do you think then?

Welcome to Taccle 2 – the site has: Free downloads of the 5 step-by-step guides to integrating ICT and e-learning in your classroom: primary education, maths, science and technology, key competences, arts and culture and humanities. Free downloads of the popular E-learning Handbook for Classroom Teachers produced by the Taccle 1 project. Hundreds of ideas and Full […]

I’ve always loved designing and playing games as a way of helping teachers and pupils learn new skills and knowledge. I used to particularly enjoy designing and running management games which sometimes ran for the whole duration of a 3 or 4 day residential course and were based on a simulated timescale, an imaginary location, Full […]

On February 26 took place an International Seminar with the participation of Portuguese and Spanish experts in the field of adult digital inclusion and literacy. In this seminar materials and resources developed were presented. Among them an e-book and an online library in which is expected to include the activities developed within the project Taccle2 in Full […]

As regular readers of this blog will know, Pontydysgu were members of a consortium in a project called EmployID, funded by the European Commission. The project focused on changing work identities in Public Employment services and how technology could be used to support Continuing Professional Development, including both formal learning and informal learning. All too […]

It is EU funding deadlines week so little time to think, let alone write fuding bids. But I paused long enough to watch this excellent video on why you should read Sylvia Plath. The Open Culture web site has a good essay by Josh Jones, a writer and musician based in Durham, NC accompanying the […]

I have been working on writing a proposal on Artificial Intelligence and teh training of teachers and trainers in Vocational Education and Training. So I’ve spent a few days chasing up on research on th subject. I can’t say a lot of it impresses me – there is a lot of vague marketing and business […]

Originally posted on Ange's Scribbles: On October 6th 2017 we are organising the Taccle3 project’s final conference in the Flemish Parliament in Brussels. If you: • Want to learn more about ‘computational thinking’ and the link with coding, • Listen to some motivational speakers • Participate in hands-on workshops full of practical class room…

The girls got the chance to play with some Ozobots recently. They respond to the colour and path of whatever line you place them on, so they will move along the path and change colour or direction depending on the colours they pass over. The bots come with some pre-printed cards and you can download […]